2012Exhibition of School
Planning and Architecture
Sutton Senior Building
St Paul’s School, 34 Strathpine Rd, Bald Hills, QLD
Australia
High School Senior Building
Project of Distinction – New Construction
Towill Design Group
Sutton Senior Building
Main Exterior Image
SOUTHERN ELEVATION
Sutton Senior Building
SITE PLAN
Southern Elevation
Community Environment
The Sutton Senior Building was designed to replace
two one storey 1960’s weather board buildings which
were both scheduled for demolition under the
School’s Master Plan. The original Sutton building
accommodated
Students
Services
including
counselling with the location not favourable with staff
as well as students. Therefore a building located in
heart of the school was refurbished with a purposely
designed facility.
The new Senior Building also replaced another aging
building which accommodated English, history and
geography - this building also contained asbestos
therefore no materials could be salvaged.
The Sutton building opens to address the Senior
Courtyard which was previously used as a
thoroughfare due to the lack of landscaping and
seating. The landscaping for the Senior Building has
now revitalised the existing Courtyard, providing
additional trees and communal tables for the senior
students as well as reinstating a strong axial pathway
connection past the Senior Building down to the
Junior School, making the new Sutton building at an
integral location of the college as students pass it to
both the senior and junior school.
The schools flag pole has now been relocated to this
courtyard to enable national services such as ANZAC
day ceremonies, proudly flying the nation’s flag in a
prominent position.
Café + Communal Space
Community Environment: Continued…
One significant part of the design brief was to include
an area for the school community, families, staff and
senior students to gather informally, therefore the
design of a cafe was created. The cafe is run by the
Parents Association and provides an area for parents
to meet, as well as staff with parents to speak
informally and senior students to socialise with one
another.
The cafe also has the ability to be used for the
hospitality students to serve patrons and develop
students skills within a realistic environment. The cafe
services a large covered outdoor deck which
complements the sub tropical Brisbane climate and
receives good air flow from the north east.
This area not only provides seating for customers but
also provides a meeting area for many school
community committees instead of a meeting room
within a building. Music students also perform in the
covered outdoor area with the inclusion of power and
lighting to practice their performance skills to
audiences. The whole building has been designed to
encourage access by students, parents and visitors by
providing good visual access internally and externally,
and providing a destination for creating a closer school
community.
Senior Classroom
Learning Environment:
The architects held extensive workshopping with
senior staff, discussing and challenging the evolving
teaching & learning methods used within the school. It
was important that the design of classrooms reflected
spaces used in tertiary education; resulting in a
combination of flexible arrangements (four of the ten
classrooms can be merged together through operable
walls), providing smaller ‘break out’ areas for smaller
group activities, and a lecture theatre styled learning
environment for up to 50 students, providing the
students with a presentation platform similar to
rooms at universities.
The Sutton Senior Building houses:
•Ten learning areas (including a mini lecture room),
•Break out learning zones,
•International school reception,
•Staff workshops,
•Hospitality teaching space
•Cafe & external seating area
The design brief was to reflect the staffs teaching
methodology; in the workshop sessions, the design
team challenged the traditional ‘single desks in rows
with front of room delivery’. Different design
scenarios and questionnaires were provided to the
staff which developed discussions on how the
traditional learning environment can change. There
was initial reluctance from staff to think how they
could deliver information in different methods.
Classroom + Ground Floor
Corridor
Learning Environment:
But by accommodating their concerns with design
solutions, staff began to realise they had a ‘Voice’ and
we were listening. Areas of concerns were challenging
as design solutions were tested to address more than
one issue. For example, the visual access from large
learning spaces to small group areas provided
supervision that staff required but also provided
natural light into these areas.
Not only were various room sizes and orientation
created for various subjects, but also furniture layouts
were equally as important. The design team tempted
teaching staff with large round tables for discussions,
smaller tables for groups of one or two and tables that
can be broken into different sizes. The feedback from
students has been positive - the differing layouts has
changed their learning experience, the environment
provides more independence than experienced in
middle school and therefore an increased level of
maturity.
The Students involvement within the design was
crucial to the buildings success and design team
workshopped with students to discover who inspired
them as a group and as individuals, incorporating
stories into a graphics strip which runs through the
building under the Schools motto ‘Create your own
story’. This enabled the students to make a mark on
their building and therefore created respect for their
teaching environment.
First Floor Corridor
Physical Environment
The Sutton Building has been designed with a strong
responsibility to the environment. It aims to reduce
maintenance costs and energy use but importantly
provides a safe environment for staff & students.
The building minimises excavation by following the
natural contours, uses steel faced sandwich panels
providing a high insulation value for the walls and
roof, reverse brick veneer is used for the upper floor
to reduce fluctuation in temperatures and robust
materials have been selected for the building
perimeter to reduce maintenance.
The Senior Building responds to its neighbours
through its scale and uses materials in a modern
manner (such as the playful coloured brick façade, use
of corrugated metal & recycled timber cladding) to tie
in existing buildings in the school.
The landscape architect designed the new
landscaping, new senior courtyard & connecting
pathways to reinstate a stronger axial connection
between junior and senior school.
Senior Classroom
Physical Environment – Continued
Environmental Considerations:
Floors: exposed concrete with 30% Fly Ash and sealed
in water based sealer
Walls: Double masonry to the ground floor and
reverse brick veneer to the upper floor
Roof & Sun Shading & Southern Facade: Steel faced
sandwich panel R.5.35
Ceiling: Fixed hoop pine panels serve as cable trays for
services & provide acoustics treatment
Windows: Comfort Plus Glazing (Low Emission
Glazing)
Building Management System (BMS): controls
windows, louvers & air conditioning via a weather
station. The BMS has the ability to collect data for
water and energy usage & can be used a learning tool
for students & teachers.
Natural Ventilation: through operable windows &
louvers, connected back to the BMS.
Water Harvesting & Reuse: collected by rain water
tanks for toilet flushing & irrigation.
Dematerialisation: avoids excessive layering by
exposing materials & limiting finishes. This expressive
nature makes the building a sustainable learning tool
for students, staff and parents.
Material Selection: materials robust in nature &
assessed by their content & location, also ensuring the
products, materials & adhesives are not harmful to
growing children and staff.
Energy: Solar Hot Water System & PV panels 7KW
system to be installed in 2012
Corridor + Break Out
Space
Planning Process: Narrative
Principal’s Brief: “To design a teaching facility that
embraces the concept of 21st century learning and
meets the needs of the International School within the
budget” Paul Browning Headmaster
To compile a return brief, Towill Design Group –
director Rachel Towill and architect Louise Booth
conducted staff workshops and reviewed the master
plan to establish the following facilities were required:
•2x teachers work rooms
•Beverage production workshop
•International School reception
•4 x International classrooms
•7 x General purpose classrooms
•Toilet facilities
•Storage
•3x Break out teaching spaces
•Cafe with Covered outdoor area with access to the
library
The design team workshopped with staff to
understand their needs for teaching and learning, and
the building itself. These workshops also created
discussions for developing new teaching and learning
methodologies. The school team leaders were Donna
Wright, Julie Bryce, Debbie Hansen and Chris
Jimmieson.
External Materials
Planning Process: Continued
Staff feedback collected from workshops included:
•Senior classes involve a combination of individual
work and group work
•Furniture should be flexible to be able to be moved
when teaching styles change
•The idea of ‘team teaching’ could be introduced
through the use of stack doors where two classes
combine as one
•Natural light, natural ventilation and colour is needed
in classrooms
•Visibility is very important – teachers need to be able
to see students outside of classroom areas
•Breakout spaces can be used by students for
individual research
The environmental design decisions were discussed
with the staff and school council so they could
understand how the building will look and operate and
of course why.
It was identified that natural ventilation was essential.
A heightened corridor space on the First Floor with
high level louvers allows hot air to escape the building.
An automatic controlled window & louver system on a
BMS (Building Management System) control allows
staff to teach without the need to alter their
environment to suit climatic conditions – this also
helps reduce power usage.
Large ceiling fans provide for air movement, which can
allow occupants to tolerate small increases in
temperatures before air conditioning is required.
Timeframe:
The collaborative workshops were held in April 2010
with final sketch plans completed by end of July 2010.
The project went to tender in November 2010, with
construction beginning March 2011 and completed in
December 2011.
IMAGE
Ground Floor plan
First Floor plan
Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture
Project Data
Submitting Firm :
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Towill Design Group
Architect – Principal Consultant
Rachel Towill
Director
PO Box 693 New Farm QLD 4005
Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
+61 738523013
Other Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Woods & Grieve Engineers
Electrical, Mechanical & Civil Design
Andrew Bell
Mechanical Manager
Level 2, 15 Leichhardt Street, Spring Hill QLD4000
Brisbane
+617 3811 4500
Other Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
AWT Consulting Engineers
Structural Engineer
Alan Tingcombe
Senior Structural Engineer
UNIT 17, LEVEL 2, 18 BRINDABELLA CCT
BRINDABELLA BUSINESS PARK
CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ACT 2609
+612 6257 2614
Construction Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
DGW Group
Principal Contractor
Darrel Boss
Site Foreman
PO Box 341, Wilston Q 4051
Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
+617 3356 5911
Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture
Project Details
Project Name
Sutton Senior Building
City
Brisbane, Australia
State
Queensland
District Name
Bald Hills
Supt/President
Principal = Mr Paul Browning
Occupancy Date
January 2012
Grades Housed
Senior Students (Grades 11 & 12)
Capacity(Students)
Site Size (acres)
325 students (110 on Ground Floor, 225 on First Floor)
0.64 acres (immediate landscaped site only, not entire
school site)
Gross Area (sq. ft.)
18083 sq ft
Per Occupant(pupil)
55 sq ft per student
gross/net please indicate
Gross (note - excludes any landscaped/decking areas)
Design and Build?
Yes
If yes, Total Cost:
$4.7 million
Design & Documentation Fees, Landscaping, Fixtures &
Fittings, Loose Furniture, Solar Panels, Physical
Building.
Includes:
If no,
Site Development:
Building Construction:
Fixed Equipment:
Other:
Total:
$4.7 million
Supporting/Supplemental
files/Images
MINI LECTURE ROOM
STAIRWAY CONNECTING LEVELS WITH
GRAPHICS SELECTED BY STUDENTS
Supporting/Supplemental
files/Images
HOSPITALITY TEACHING AREA
CAFÉ CONNECTED TO DECK & HOSPITALITY
TEACHING AREA
Supporting/Supplemental
files/Images
MAIN ENTRY FROM SENIOR COURTYARD
BREAKOUT STUDY AREA IN CORRIDOR UPSTAIRS
Supporting/Supplemental
files/Images
SENIOR CLASSROOM ON GROUND FLOOR
LARGE NORTHERN FACING OUTDOOR DECK,
CONNECTED TO CAFÉ & CLASSROOMS
Supporting/Supplemental
files/Images
NORTHERN ELEVATION
SOUTHERN ELEVATION
SKETCH SECTION OF VENTILATION
SENIOR CLASSROOM WITH COLOURED
JOINERY AND EXPRESSED STRUCTURE